Person:Marion Duguid (1)

Massachusetts Death Record Abstract:

Decedent’s Name: Marion (Duguid) Follansbee Sex: Female Race: White Date of Death: January 31, 1973 Hour of Death: 5 PM Place of Death: VFW Nursing Home, West Roxbury

Usual Residence: 39 Clarendon, Boston Length of Time in Community: Life Age: 75; Birth Date:1897-98 Decedent’s Birthplace: Worcester, Worcester Co., Mass. Father’s Name: John Duguid Father’s Birthplace: Scotland Mother’s Maiden Name: Elizabeth Cook Mother’s Birthplace: Nova Scotia, Canada

Marital Status: Divorced [from] Ernest Follansbee

Occupation: Housewife Social Security #: CNBL

Marion is listed with her family on the 1911 Canadian Census, Pictou, NS, New Glasgow. It states that she entered Canada in 1907.

Primary Cause of Death: respiratory arrest Length of Illness: NR Secondary Cause of Death: chr. obst. lung disease Length of Illness: NR

Doctor: Charles Nelson, MD Place of Burial: Highland Cem., Newburyport Date: February 3, 1973 Undertaker: George E. Twomey, Newburyport

Death Record Informant: Frank Follansbee Address: 71 St., Plum Island, Newburyport, Essex Co., Mass. Informant’s Relationship: Son

Date of Recording: February 7, 1973

Source: [Death Certificate – State of Massachusetts] 1973: Vol. 9; Pg. 223 Abstract: Mass Document Retrieval @@ http://www.mass-doc.com

Abbreviations:

NA = Not Asked On Record; NR = Not Reported On Record; Quotes = Verbatim CNBL = "Can Not Be Learned"; Informant Did Not Know Answer

• • = Asterisk Indicates Record Hand Written; Difficult To Read

Age Reported = "as in years, i.e. 79 Years Old" or as in number of "years, months and days", i.e., "79 - 5 - 21" _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The following notes are the memories of Marion's son, Frank, at 84 y.o. and my own from childhood. Marions parents met and married in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They came to U.S. to live and raise their family. To my fathers recollection they had 3 daughters; Angie aka Annie, Violet, and Marion and a son, Wallace. When the children had become young adults the family with the exception of Marion and Violet moved to California. Violet and Marion were both married at this time and had families of their own so they stayed in Boston. See entry for 'Violet'. When Marion and Ernest were newlyweds they lived on Humboldt Ave. in Roxbury,Ma. Ernest worked at the Hathaway Bakeries, Inc. on Richdale Ave, Cambridge,Ma. Unfortuneately, the marriage ended in divorce after 10 years in 1927. Marion was pregnant at the time of the divorce & son Frank was 10 years old. Ernest moved to 4 Cogswell Ave.,Cambridge, Ma. Ernest met his next love at his place of work at the bakery. She was the book keeper, named Ethel Mckee, they married shortly thereafter. (of note: Frank recently mentioned to me that Marion use to have 'male friends' in the house frequently. And Frank believes that his father, Ernest, caught Marion with another man in a compromising position. Ernest questioned the paternity of the baby that Marion was pregnant with. Apparently this is what destroyed the marriage. Marion never remarried.) Alone with Frank and with child, Marion moved to 222 W.Newton St., Boston,Ma located beside train tracks. The Congregational Church on the corner of W. Newton St. and Columbus Ave. would regularly send the family baskets of food. Frank fondly remembers how the Church sent him on numerous summers to camp on Lake Winnisqwam in NH. This is where Frank fell in love with the outdoors and was determined to move out of Boston when he grew up. According to Frank his brother, Ernest, 10 years his junior, also went to this camp once or twice. The family of 3 also lived at 72 Appleton St. and then 294 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA. At 294 Columbus Ave. they lived above a tire company which caught fire during the winter. This sent the family to yet another address. Dad remembered in those early days ice was frequently found in the toilet during the winter. And when he and his brother would have to go down to the basement for coal they would always have to 'scoot' rats out of the way while making their way to the coal bin.

Frank also recalled a gentleman by the name of 'Crowell' visited the family regularly after his father left them ( I believe this would have been his Great Grandfather). Frank remembers this man as being a nice English man. He would come around to check up on how the family was faring. Marion and her sister Violet would get together on a regular basis with the children for family visits. Frank remembered these as good times.

Auntie-Auntie, as we grandchildren fondly called her (as she never wanted to be considered a 'grandmother'), was a tall, sweet and reclusive lady. Our family got to spend time with her when Dad would drive into Boston on holidays and special occasions to pick Auntie-Auntie up and bring her to our home. My younger brother, Frankie, and I would often accompany Dad on these trips into Boston. She lived in an apartment on Claredon St., Boston, Ma for as long as I could remember. All the apartment buildings on this street were 'brownstones' - old, brick building, narrow and tall of four or more stories & nestled close together. The stairwell up to her apartment was gloomy. paint peeling exposing plaster underneath. I doubt much repair had been done to these apartments during this time. There were single bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling on each landing. We had to climb at least four flights to her apartment. Inside there were two bedrooms ( the inside of either I never saw); a large front living room; a bathroom; and a kitchen. Years before my memory can serve me Auntie-Auntie resigned herself to living out her life in the kitchen, choosing to forget the other rooms existed. This could have been an issue with heat & living on a fixed income. Upon entering the apartment, taking a left would take you to the large, long living room which two windows on far end looked out over Claredon St. Turning right when entering the apartment was a short hall, one would pass the bathroom on the right & two bedrooms to the left. Walking straight ahead would lead to the kitchen. The kitchen was a small rectangle room that was home to Marion and a large black cast iron stove; an old, well worn sofa; a kitchen table; and Dads military pictures sitting on small end table. I vaguely remember shelves with food goods on them. The entire apartment had the same gloominess as the stairwell. I doubt that the living room sofa or chairs had been sat in since her sons had moved out. Fixtures in the bathroom worked well despite their age. The 'water closet' was a high level cistern dated approximately 1890. I don't remember the details of the sink or tub except that they were old. We would always find Auntie-Auntie sitting on the sofa in a mid-calf length cotton dress and a tie on plastic apron with black lace up shoes. She wore a dark brown wig of medium length after losing much of her frontal hair caused by a fire in a wood/coal cooking stove. My father relayed a short story that he, my mother, sister Martina and possibly sister Patricia lived in this apartment for a short time while Auntie-Auntie lived on Columbus Ave.

Auntie-Auntie was soft spoken, very sweet, good company for all of us. We all would take turns spending time with her. I remember when Auntie-Auntie would visit us, she would be having coffee and Mom having tea at the kitchen table talking for long lengths of time and chuckling about each others stories. Since both ladies were loners this must have been a good time for both of them to get together. 

Auntie-Auntie developed senior diabetes. Over the course of time in her seventies her condition worsened. After an operation to remove her toes on one foot she was admitted to a nursing home in West Roxbury, Boston, MA. Her condition did not improve and before long her leg had to be removed and then it started on the other leg. From what I can remember she grew weary & wanted some peace, she passed away, January 31, 1973. I was always very fond of Auntie-Auntie, I have not one bad memory of her.

1. ↑ Vital Records Dept, Boston, MA.

   Vital Records Dept, Boston, MA.
   vol. 468, page 652, Microfilm #529.

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943.